Jar-sealing apparatus.



No. 7H,432. Patented 00L I4, |902.

W. A. LORENZ &. W. H. HUNISS.

JAR SEALING APPARATUS.

(Application mad Jan. 5, 1961.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

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Inventors:

TN: Norms PETERS co, PHoouTHO.. wAsmNGYoN, u. c.

No. 7l|,432. y Patented Oct. I4, |902.

W. A. LURENZ & W. H. HUNISS. JAR SEALING APPARATUS.

(Application .Glad Jan. 5, 1901.) l

(No Iodel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

^ WILLIAM A. LORENZ AND WILLIAM II. HoNIss, or HARTFORD, CONNECTI- OUT,AssIeNoRs To rnEMsELvEs, AND BEECH-NUT PACKING COMPANY, OE CANAJOHARIE,NEW YORK, A CORPORATION or NEW YORK.

JAR-SEALING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 711,432', dated October14, 1902.

Application filed January 5. 1901. Serial No. 42,175. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM A. LORENZ and WILLIAM H. HoNIss, citizensof the United States of America, and residents of Hartford, in thecounty of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in JarSealing Apparatus, of which the followingis a specication. A

Io This invention comprises an improved apparatus for exhausting andhermetieally sealing jars, cans, and similar receptacles. Figure 1 ofthe drawings is a plan View of this apparatus. Fig. 2`is a side viewthereof I5 in section, taken along the line 2 2 of Fig. l, representingthe apparatus loaded with jars and in position within a receiver for theexhausting and sealing operation. Figs. 3 and 4 are fragmentary sideviews insection, showzo ing in two positions of.service ya modificationof the presser. Fig. 5 is a plan View of a modified form of the presserof the previous figures; and Fig. 6 is a side view thereof in section,taken along the line 6 6, the latter view also representing theapparatus within a receiver. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side viewillustrating the operation of the readmitted air in sealing the edges ofthe presser of Fig. 6 against the side wall of the receiver. Fig. 3o 8is a similar fragmentaryl viewl illustrating another modifiedconstruction of the presser. Nearly all hermeticallysealed jars areclosed after the air is exhausted from the interior of the jar by meansof a cap and an annular gasket inclosing the mouth of the jar. Duringthe time that the air is being exhausted it is desirable to allow thecaps to rest lightly upon the gaskets in order to permit of the readyexit of the air from the in- 40 terior of the jar. Hence at this timethe caps are liable to become displaced or tilted, either. in thehandling or by the outward movement of the air, and if the caps aresealed in this tilted position they do not make a satisfactory andpermanent joint. Moreover, on account of inequalities and irregularitiesin the jars, the caps, orthe gaskets, or all together, it frequentlyhappens that the caps while thus supported lightly upon the gaskets restonly upon the higher or larger portions thereof, leaving intermediateopenings, which while facilitating the ready exit of the air from thejars are liable to allow the subsequently readmitted air-pressure toreenter the jars before the caps are forced down hard 5 5` enough or farenough to close those Openings.

It is the object of this invention to provide an apparatus whereby thecaps may, if desired, be allowed to rest loosely upon their gasketsduring the exhausting operation with- 6o out allowing them to becometilted and which will be automatically operated upon by the readmittedair to force the caps squarely down upon the gaskets and seal the jarswithout allowing any of the readmittedair to V j reach the interiors ofthe jars. v Y

Our improved apparatus consists of an open-sided jar-receptacle 6,having a base 7 for supporting and partially inclosing the jars J. Thebase may be integral with the side 7o of the receptacle 6 or may be apart of the receiver R of the vacuum apparatus. A jarpresser 10 isfitted to the side Walls of the receptacle, and thispresser ispreferably com posed of a flat sheet of rubber or similar iiexiblematerial substantially impervious to air. The form of presser shownlinFigs. l and 2, is preferred by us because of its simplicity andinexpensivene'ss', and when this form is used the interior walls of thereceptacle are 8o preferably recessed, as best shown in Fig. 2, toprovide a shoulder 8, located substantially at the plane of the tops ofthe jar-caps C for supporting the margin of the presser 10, and thusforming a practically air-tight joint, sealing the interior of thereceptacle lagainst the readmission of the air. It may in some cases befound desirable to employ a Weight 9, of suitable material, resting uponthe margins of the presser above the shoulders 8, to 9o improve theContact of the presser with those shoulders. It is also advisable to fitthe edges of the presser closely against the sides 11 of the recess,which may readily be done by employing a metallic templet for cutting ortrimming the 'edges of the presser l0 to the proper size.

The form of presser shown in Figs. 1 and 2 not only serves to preventreadmission of air to the interior of the receptacle, but is liable rooto impede, at least to some extent, the exit of air therefrom during theexhausting operation. Therefore it is desirable to employ in connectionwith this form of presser an outlet-aperture 13 and a return check-valve12 for the exit of the air Within the jars and their receptacle duringthe exhausting operation. In order to enable the check-valve to beopened quickly and readily after the apparatus is removed from thereceiver, it is preferably provided with` an opening-key 14. The keyandthe valve 12 should be so placed as to be readily accessible to theoperator without being liable to accidental or inadvertent displacement,and to this end it is found convenient to place them in a suitablerecess in the Walls of the receptacle. In order to further protect thekey and the valve, a guard 15, consisting of a narrow strip of metal,may be fastened over the recess, leaving sufficient room for theoperator to reach the key 14 with his nger. A button, as 16, will befound convenient for lifting and handling the presser.

The mode of operation of this apparatus is 'as follows: The filled jarsbeing placed in the receptacle with their gaskets and caps in position,the presser 10 is placed in its seat upon the shoulders S. The weight 9,if employed, is placed in position and the apparatus is transferred tothe receiver R, having an outlet or exhaust pipe O and an inlet-valve I.During the exhausting operation the air from the interior of the jarspasses freely out between the caps and their gaskets and through theoutlet aperture 13, the return checkvalve 12 lifting readily at a veryslight pressure. When a suitable vacuum has been produced, the air isreadmitted through the inlet-valve I and operates to close the returncheck-valve 12 and the presser 10 firmly down upon their respectiveseats, thereby preventing the readmission of air to the interior of thereceptacle and of the jars, and therefore excluding it from the jars.The vacuum Within the receptacle and the jars being thus maintained, thereadmitted air-pressure is exerted to its full extent upon the outerside of the presser, thus forcing the presser downwardly and carryingthe caps with it to their sealing positions. The iiexibility of thepresser 10 enables the pressure to be applied equally upon all. of thejars in spite of the variations which often exist in their respectiveheights.

In the modified form of presser 2O shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the edge ofthe presser itself is utilized to form a return check-valve. Theoutlet-aperture 2l is located above the shoulder 8, by which theaperture is closed, as shown in Fig. 4, when the air is readmitted.During the exhausting operation the edge of the presser rises, as inFig. 3, thus uncovering the aperture, or the height of the shoulder maybe such that the jars before sealing may support the presser somewhatabove the shoulder, against which it will subsequently be moved as thereadmitted air forces down the caps.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the presser 23 is providedwith upwardlyturned edges 25, of a suitable thickness and flexibility toenable them to conform closely to the interior Walls of the receptacle24, thereby enabling those edges to serve as gaskets for hermeticallysealing the open side of the receptacle and also enabling the edge orsome portion thereof to serve as a return check-valve for the air,permitting its exit during the exhausting operation and preventing itsreturn when readmitted to the receiver R. By reducing the thickness of aportion of j Jthe edge, as at 26, that portion Will serve Well as avalve, opening to very slight interior pressure, While closing againstthe return pressure and preventing it from rentering the receptacle. Abutton 27, attached to one edge of the presser, will enable it to bereadily opened by the operator after the receptacle, with its sealedjars, has been removed from the receiver. The mode of operation of thisdevice is like that of the apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2 above described,excepting that the edges of this modified presser will be forceddownwardly along the side walls of the receptacl'e by the readmittedpressure, as substantially illustrated in Fig. 7.

In the modification shown in Fig. 8 the presser 30, which is shown to beconsiderably thinner than in the preceding figures, is reinforced by aframe 3l. The joint between the presser and the side Walls of thereceptacle is in this case made by means of a iexible gasket 32. Theoperation of this device is also substantially like that of the formshereinbefore described.

The jar-receptacle may be adapted to receive any number of jars, andwhere the nature of their contents permits the jars may be inverted orbe placed on their sides. The

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entire apparatus may also be modified as to construction and arrangementin many Ways which will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

We claim as our invention- 1. In combination with an exhaustingapparatus, a removable open-sided jar-receptacle, and a jar-presserclosing the open side of the receptacle, and flexibly movable inrelation to each jar.

2. In a jarsealing apparatus, the combination of a receiver from whichair is exhausted, an open-sided jar-receptacle for containing jars, aiiexible presser adjacent to the jars or caps and closing the open sideof the receptacle, means for exhausting air from the receiver and thereceptacle, and means for readmitting air to the receiver and directingit to automatically press the jars and caps together.

3. In a jar-sealing apparatus, the combination of an open-sided jar-receptacle, a flexible jar-presser substantially closing the openside of the receptacle, means for exhausting the air from both sides ofthe presser, and-means for readmitting air-pressure and directing itagainst the outer side of the presser.

4.. In a jar-sealing apparatus, the combina- 'tion of an open-sidedjar-receptacle, a flexible Ajar-presser closing the open side of thereceptacle,a seat in the receptacle for the inarginal edges of thepresser, means for exhausting the air from both sides of the presser,and

means for readmitting the air-pressure and directing it against theouter side of the presser.

side of the presser. Y

6. In combination with an exhausting apparatus, a removable open-sidedjar-receptacle, a flexible j ar-presser for hermetically closing theopen side of the receptacle, and a return check-Valve.

7. In a jar-sealing apparatus, the combination of an open-sidedjar-receptacle, a flexible jar-presser having a flexible edge forclosing the open side of the receptacle, means for eX- hausting air fromboth sides of the presser, and means for readmitting the air-pressureand directing itagainst the outer side of the presser. v n p Signed atHartford, Connecticut, this 29th day of December, 1900.

WILLIAM A. LORENZ.

H. I-IONISS.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH MERRITT, CHAS. F. SCHMELZ.

